Wii Watch: Dec 20

Hello out there.

Just wanna say: I don't know how you can get your hands on a Wii, sorry. Best I can do is refer you to the booming number of sites loaded up with useful Wii stock-tracking widgets or helpful tips supplied from the trenches.

Looks like people are getting a little cranky. One Wii-hunting scribe over at tech site CNET, in a piece posted today, was advised at a toy store that he ought to "call everywhere in the world every single day of your life."

I hear stories that UPS men are getting random hugs from strangers when the men in brown show up to deliver packages containing the game console, which is, astonishingly, taking the prize again this year as the hot, hard-to-get item that everybody and their grandmother (literally) wants to get their hands on this holiday season.

So. Just wondering. Were you able to land a Wii miracle ths holiday season? Please share your tale here or send me an email with your contact information (musgrovemATwashpost.com). Or just feel free to vent.

Whoever contributes the best Wii-get story, I'll send a copy of some Wii game or other (sorry, it won't be Super Mario Galaxy). Or, if you contribute an outstanding didn't get-the-Wii story, I'll send you something else. (Dunno what, but I have an unopened copy of a game called Rayman 2: The Great Escape for the GameCube that has been sitting in my drawer for, oh, about 7 years... and it could be yours!)

Update:

The EB Games in Tysons Corner had "about 13" Wii systems in today, but they moved quickly. The store said they'll start selling "rain checks" for the system tomorrow. They recommend folks get there early; even the rain checks are in limited supply, apparently.

Comments

Game Cube!! How quaint. That is one of many "must have" systems my son and I camped out to get. We achieved "Wii-ness" last winter by camping outside of a Target in the bitter cold. Wouldn't my son have felt badly if I pulled a Pres. Wm. Henry Harrison by catching pneumonia and dying? Probably not so much. Why are these launches always a cold weather event?
I am not a gamer, but seeing how much my son gets from the experience, I am willing to tough it out.

Posted by: Proud Dad | December 20, 2007 12:59 PM

Last year the Wii was on the Christmas list. We didn't even know what it was. We dutifully went from store to store and many web sites hunting our elusive prey, but by Christmas we had no Wii in hand. Assuming the shortage would end quickly, we gave the boys an IOU last year. We continued to randomly search with no luck and by July - thier birthdays, they were demanding payment on the IOU's. I started stalking EB games on weekday afternoons, as I heard that is what it took. Finally in October, we went to Walmart online and saw you could get one if you bought it all bundled up with games, controllers, and a game chair. Of course the price was $550 instead of $250, but we now have a Wii. It is a real friend magnet- lots of kids suddenly coming over to our house to play!

Posted by: Judy | December 20, 2007 1:20 PM

We won our Wii in one of the numerous online contests ... Luchables instant win. A possible tip for Wii-less people out there. Last year the PS3 was the xmas must have that was nowhere to be found. Most of my family is from small town Pennsylvania, and the weekend after Christmas the "local" Circuit City received 4 PS3's and no one noticed (not even the CC employess for some reason). We purchased 2, one for ourselves and one sold on ebay for a tidy profit. I guess, since mom and dad had to get something else to put under the tree, they weren't thinking about dropping $500 the weekend after.

Posted by: Dumb Luck | December 20, 2007 1:23 PM

We bought a Wii in early November for a christmas gift since we knew how hard they would be to find after Black Friday. We haunted the Best Buy in Rockville, and Laurel, until finally, one of the employees took pity on us and checked the stock report for the area stores - Gaithersburg had 50 of them at the time, which he said they were probably holding until Black Friday, but we were welcome to go to that store and try to talk them into selling us one. Luck continuing to hold, we managed to get one.

Posted by: Lauren | December 20, 2007 1:26 PM

The Wii really is something. Our family is enjoying it. After spending a few days calling every store within a reasonble radius, I was faced with two options: 1) camping out at a toy store that was expecting a shipment; or 2) Craigs List. Not big on camping, I went with Craig. I found a local listing for the Wii and met the seller the same evening. Meeting outside a Chipotle, while totally legal, felt very shady. I paid a few bucks over retail but it was well worth it!

Posted by: Fred | December 20, 2007 1:29 PM

I really don't get it. Last year I knew I wanted to buy my kids a Wii; after seeing them on eBay for $500-600, which I thought was insane, I went to my local game store who said they'd sell me an empty Wii box, which they'd fill in early January for the actual price--$250. My kids understood and spent the time planning the games we'd get. Sure enough in early January the store called, we got our Wii for the actual price and nobody died because it wasn't under the tree Christmas morning.

Posted by: Don | December 20, 2007 1:40 PM

My boyfriend and I camped outside of the Circuit City in Largo for a few hours the Sunday before Black Friday. We were the only people under 40 in line, and also the only people who wanted to buy the Wii for themselves. Talked to the store manager into opening early so that we didn't have to sit on the curb in the cold, and managed to get ourselves one of 20 they had in the store.

Posted by: Rachel | December 20, 2007 1:46 PM

I'm not sure about this frenzy. I was at the Rockville mall in early September meeting someone I found on Craigslist selling Redskins tickets and found a GameStop with at least a dozen Wii consoles so I bought one. I hadn't planned on it, but with all the hype I figured it would be easy to unload if I did't use it. I guess a little foresight goes a long way. The games are very fun.

Posted by: Brian | December 20, 2007 1:48 PM

I purchased a Wii for my kids in November on ebay. It was going to be the big Santa gift this year. A week later, I overheard my kids say that the Wii was too boring for them (they are 12 and 9), and wanted an Xbox.
So, I ended up getting a good deal on a Wii, selling it to my neighbor (actually sold it for less than I paid), and buying an Xbox 360 elite from Santa!

Posted by: Bought/Sold Wii | December 20, 2007 1:59 PM

Camped out at the "Toys R Us" in Sterling last Sunday morning to get my Wii. Arrived at 3:15 to become the 7th person in line. The store told us at 7:15 that they had 38 in stock, with 70 people in line. FYI, number 38 went to a guy that showed up at 5:15 so the earlier you get in line, the better.

Posted by: Jay | December 20, 2007 2:03 PM

I managed to get a Wii by standing in line at a target on a cold Saturday last Feb. I ended up selling it a few weeks ago for a good profit and I don't miss it. It was fun, but most of the games were either really bad because they didn't use the motion sensors well, or they got really boring because the game was so repetitive. Maybe when the games get better I'll get it again. Until then I'll keep my 360, it's better in almost every way possible. Nintendo needs to get into the 21st Century and add downloadable content and OnLine gameplay to the Wii to keep up with their competitors. Ebay is probably the best place to look in a few months when people get bored of it.

Posted by: Jeff | December 20, 2007 2:07 PM

My companies holiday party this year was a bowling party. We teamed up in groups of 6 and each group got to bowl 6 frames (not many if you are a real bowler). The team with this highest team average got a Wii. Our team won by 0.5 pins. Hallelujah for 1/2 a pin.

But I already had 2 under my tree as earlier this year I walked into a Target and they had 10 in the cabinet. Bought 2, one for me and one for my oldest daughter.

I sold the office party one on eBay and with the prices that they are now getting I may consider selling mine that's under the tree.

We wanted to buy one last Christmas but, like everyone else, came up empty handed. It was nearing our daughter's birthday (May) and we STILL couldn't find any in the Dayton retail sector so I succumbed to 'the dark side'--eBay. I found one that was going for $285-290 (which included shipping) so I bought it and had it delivered in time for her special day. About a month later, we went to a mall in Cincinnati and in one of their electronic game stores I saw TWO Wiis sitting on the shelf and both were marked at their suggested retail price of $249 :-(

Posted by: Dayton Pundit | December 20, 2007 3:13 PM

I have now stumbled onto two Wii's: one this summer at Costco and one this past week at Target. The one I bought at Costco I returned because my kids made me mad and I decided they did not deserve it. (Someone almost tackled me in the returns line to buy it back). I got the one at Target because I happened to be standing in the gaming dept looking at 360 games when they wheeled 27 Wii's out of the back. I bought it on an impulse, even though I didn't really need it (already got enough stuff for the kids) but of all things, my 70 year-old mother mentioned that she might like one since she had heard they were good for senior citizens. So it's going to her instead. I guess my approach to finding a Wii is very zen - don't look for it and you'll find it!

Posted by: JB | December 20, 2007 3:22 PM

I got my Wii the easy way: I got up at 4AM on a Sunday morning in late January. I waited in front of a Circuit City for 4 hours in the 28Â° weather and I was second in line. Being patient and scouting out the stores early on Sunday mornings seems to be the most reliable strategy, as many stores stockpile units so as to feature them in the Sunday circular.

I may have to repeat my waiting in the new year, as my parents have a lot of fun with the Wii and would love to get one. My mom has always hated video games, but she can kick my butt at Wii Tennis and my dad crushes me in bowling. Plus, thanks to the virtual console, we can play games together that are new to us and cost under $10.

Posted by: Caroline | December 20, 2007 3:30 PM

I got one without really even trying. Went to best buy for something else asked if they had any and lucked out. they had 1 left in the back. this was in November.

Posted by: lucky | December 20, 2007 4:23 PM

There are other parts of the country where it seems Wiis have gone to hide. If you know anyone in a large town in Alaska (not joking) give them a try. I was in two different game stores last weekend in Anchorage and found Wiis, Guitar Hero Xbox, Rock Band piled head high going for list price. Guess there are some advantages to living in the cold and dark...

Posted by: JP | December 20, 2007 4:24 PM

just got the one of the last two at target in clackamas oregon.

Posted by: dabull | December 20, 2007 4:30 PM

I spent the weekend before Thanksgiving going to various stores looking for a Wii. After literally being laughed out of a Best Buy store, I went home and ordered online. Best Buy, Target, Circuit City and Radio Shack were all sold out but I was able to find the Wii at walmart.com. The only problem was that they only sold the bundle (console plus another $300 worth of games and accessories). While I'm happy to have the Wii, I'm still a little disgusted with walmart's marketing techniques.

Posted by: DNB | December 20, 2007 4:43 PM

I got a Wii because I started the search in June. Even then it took two months. I had told all my friends that I was on a Wii hunt, and one day my buddy called me from Costco and said he was looking at a stack of them. So I told him to grab one for me. Also, those online Wii tracking widgets are kind of pointless, because as soon as you see the thing pop up, and go to the website to try to order, they are all sold out. Other people must being using bots or scripts to monitor those things and to auto-buy. Amazon was consistently sold out in literally a minute from when the widget popped up..

Posted by: AH | December 20, 2007 5:17 PM

We lucked up last weekend. My 14 year old son wanted a Wii for Christmas. I had checked Ebay, Amazon, etc. Told him "Santa" doesn't pay more than retail. A friend told us to keep an eye on Toys R Us. We went after church and got in line at 12:15 for a 1:30 open time. They gave out tickets at 1:15. We got #35 and there 40 units. A happy 14 year old!

Posted by: Ruth | December 20, 2007 5:53 PM

craigs list is the answer. lots of entrpreneurial college kids bought multiple wiis anticipating a supply shortage for the holiday season and nintendo didn't disappoint. in the DC area, craigs list sellers of unopened, with receipt wiis are fetching $100 or more premium for each unit. Yesterday Nintendo announced a program with gamestep/EBgames that may reduce that premium - the stores are selling IOUs for the Wii for delivery in mid-January, for normal retail price, and you get an envelope and receipt for under the tree for the kids. All good, but i felt a bright college student deserved the premium, and my family is good with that, and my 6 year old beats me everytime in tennis, bowling and baseball!!

Posted by: shorepal | December 20, 2007 5:54 PM

I've been a PC gamer for a number of years. It was okay. I wasn't into the hotest and/or most recent games. Just ones that took my fancy. However, my children have now reached the age where the learning-oriented software alone does not occupy their attention. So, I began to research newer games and found the PC environment lacking for kids, especially since most games required different types of controllers. I decided to go with a what I call a TV-oriented console game system (am I dating myself?)

In the summer of 07 I asked some of the younger workers in the office what game system they recommended. Unanimously they stated the Wii. This is without telling me how rare they were to obtain. So, I started my search. Innocently, I looked online at the bigger stores and was surprised at the lack of availability. I went local (to a local store, not crazy) and tried to chat up the employees. Like my coworkers, they told me how and when the Wii's SHOULD be coming in. I guess I missed the qualifier. I went to the store anticipating getting the Wii only to find out that the shipment had arrived early and they were already sold out. I disparred at ever getting a Wii and was anticipating holding off on the purchase. Then out of the blue, I get a call from my sister-in-law from N.C. She was in a store and came across this gaming system called Wii. She wanted to know if it was any good as she was considering getting it for her son. I was astounded. I calmly informed her that yes, they were supposed to be very good systems and that I had been trying for months to find one. She stated that they had two there, would I like her to get me one too?

I recently bought Mario Galaxy to accompany the system. I think the kids will be surprised as they know how hard it is to get.

Posted by: charlie | December 20, 2007 6:18 PM

Just picked up a Wii from my in-laws as a fake X-mas present (we "celebrated" on the 15th).

The ONLY way they were able to get their hands on one was if my brother in law, who is a circuit city employee and had the insider hookup, bought a 1 year warranty along with the system. (The warranty cost an extra $35 or so...)

Seems absurd, but maybe this is a circuit city policy that others out there can exploit? (if they have the proper connections)

Posted by: d, dc | December 20, 2007 6:22 PM

We did the IOU route last Christmas, and finally got a Wii by waiting out in the cold one night in January. But one night before Christmas, during the search, I had a very involved dream in which I lucked into one at a game store just as the truck pulled up. I woke up and was SO thrilled to know that I'd found one...and then I realized I'd dreamed the whole thing.

Posted by: fxlibrarian | December 20, 2007 7:33 PM

Selling a brand new wii for $550

email:
flakefreeentertainment@gmail.com

Posted by: Wii Available | December 20, 2007 7:36 PM

No problem finding them in stores in Guatemala, though the price is about US 500

Posted by: Howard Away | December 20, 2007 9:33 PM

Take control of your lives people. Nintendo is daring you not to buy their product, they might actually be laughing at you.

Posted by: Pavlov | December 20, 2007 11:48 PM

So 2 days ago I went to the mall (Tiny podunk Flagstaff AZ mall) and passed Gamestop. On a whim fearing the pity and scorn comming my way I walked up to the counter and said (with my head hung in shame) "Do you have any Wii's"? he whispered back "yes" kinda sketchy like, my eyes got huge and I whispered back "RING IT UP!" and it was the last one. As soon as he was took my credit card we both loosened up and he shared in my victory, the kid was grinning ear to ear that he could sell me this wii. The Thing is I had no idea when they got them in, it was indeed pure luck with no rhyme or reason..
Days later i'm still beside myself. I keep on looking at it under the tree and I can't wait to use it next tuesday!
The moral of the story is, JUST ASK! you never know who may have one for you. After all is Christmas..
Merry Christmas Everyone.

Posted by: otterly | December 21, 2007 3:07 AM

So many people around we bought a wii when it first came out. I was never too fond of it. But when I actually played it long enough to get sore I was addicted. I came home last week.. about 12 days to christmas telling my parents that I wanted one. My father replied "It is taken care of" See I did all the Christmas shopping and wrapping for my parents so I knew there was no Wii. I was bugging my Dad so much he told me to start calling around. Luckily only about 30 mins into my search a friend of the family had one that he was going to sell on ebay. Well he didnt sell it on ebay instead he sold it to me. Let's just say I am very excited for Christmas morning and hopefully my parents understand that I will be too preoccupied with my Wii to help with Christmas dinner

Posted by: Excited | December 21, 2007 3:28 AM

I tried the whole getting up early thing last Xmas season, but only if I had a reason to go into work early. Didn't manage to get one, but it was for me so I could wait. So one mid-January day a colleague and I were at Wal-Mart getting some cable for work and as I was walking by the games I noticed three in the case. When I checked out I asked for one and the sales clerk said they were out. If it wasn't for the younger sales clerk confirming they had a few, she would have never known. So now I have mine and I cannot wait till Xmas to play Guitar Hero for Wii.

Posted by: RodVA | December 21, 2007 8:18 AM

I live in San Diego, so when I found out that the duty-free store at the U.S.-Mexico border had a large supply of Wii's I drove the 30 miles to pick one up. Well, I got my system, but in order to fulfill the duty-free rules I had to step over the border into Mexico then re-enter the U.S. No biggie, I've been crossing that border all my life, and it never takes too long on foot.

But this time was different. As soon as we passed through the gate, we saw a line of people stretching for miles -- all waiting to get into the country. Seems there was some sort of security alert and it was causing a huge holdup. I didn't want to stand in line for four hours, so we paid some shady looking characters $10 a piece to drive us over. But after we got into the van, and our "driver" got questioned by the Tijuana police about why we were in their vehicle (he told them we were his "amigos"), all car traffic came to a stop.
It ended up taking 2 1/2 hours in a hot, stuffy van filled with other shady looking characters, one of which was throwing up, to make it to the border. Then, to top things off, the van broke down and we had to push it over the line.

So, was it worth it? Yes! I've got a great game system and a great story to boot....

Posted by: Nancy | December 21, 2007 9:39 AM

I called local stores (Target, Best Buy, CC) on Tuesday 12/18 and they all said they would sell any Wiis they received during the week on Sunday morning and to arrive early and wait in line. When I called Toys R Us in Rockville, they said they were out, but if they got a shipment they would sell them immediately and not wait until Sunday. They advised that I just call each morning and see if any came in. I called Wednesday morning 12/19 and they were in. I got to the store around 9:30 a.m. and there were still about 20 left. They would only let me buy one, so I called another friend who had been searching and she was able to pick one up around 10:15. Now if I could only find Dance Dance Revolution!

Posted by: mommii | December 21, 2007 9:51 AM

I got totally lucky. My wife and I happened to walk into a Fye Movie store in Fair Oaks Mall, and they just happened to have one more console in stock. I was so completely caught off guard when the clerk answered "Why yes, we do have a Wii" that I just stared at him for a couple minutes. I'd suggest trying the non-traditional places (like a Fye or a camera store) that might possibly sell them too.

Posted by: Sam | December 21, 2007 11:28 AM

My BF is out of the country so he asked me if i wouldn't mind going to the Best Buy near me in Westchester, NY early on Sunday (just this past) to try and get a Wii for his 10 year old nephew. A few days after he asked I developed a 48 hour bug with a sore throat, chills and a fever. To add to that a nor'easter with snow, sleet, freezing rain and high winds was working its way up the coast to arrive the night before and linger thru sunday afternoon. My BF then said never mind don't get into a car accident in the snow and don't get pneumonia. But I did not let any of this stop me. I braved the weather and my aching body to go to the Best Buy about half an hour before they opened to get a ticket for a Wii. I got ticket 61 for about 90 Wiis they had in stock. Went back to huddle in my dry car until they opened half an hour later. Stood in line for an hour inside a warm store and finally got a Wii. Then had to clear about 2 inches of ice and snow that had piled up on my car and made my way back home to collapse in bed with a smile on my face. Really one of the first times i truly felt like Santa.

Posted by: Trina from NYC | December 21, 2007 11:43 AM

One way to get a Wii this Christmas-Wait for snow/ice storm to hit and go to your local electronic stores on the day of delivery-No one else showed up-I was able to purchase two.

Posted by: Kim-Maine | December 21, 2007 11:50 AM

You should check out http://wii.findnearby.net - it's a pretty nice wii tracker, also finds local auctions.

Posted by: Billy | December 21, 2007 12:16 PM

I wanted a Wii, but not enough to camp or pay extra.

I took a vacation the week after Thanksgiving to use up time I was going to loose on the 31st. I went to Walmart for an Oil change, and while I waited 45 minutes to be checked in my wife saw someone walk out carrying two Wii's. We promptly bought 1 for ourselves and I called my office to see if anyone else wanted me to pick one up, and got one more. Still kicking myself for not buying 5 more to sell.

Posted by: Charlie | December 21, 2007 12:22 PM

My wife's sister was at the Gaithersburg Costco early one morning and found that no one was manning the cash registers. She saw lots of people, including the employees, grabbing boxes out of a bin. Not knowing what was it, she jumped in and grabbed one for herself. Only later did she realize that she just got herself a Wii console. Her kids already have plenty of video games so she doesn't want it. I already have a Wii myself but was happy to help her get rid of it (sold it to my brother in 5 min).

Posted by: Calvin | December 21, 2007 12:35 PM

I was actually lucky enough to obtain a Wii while reading your article!! I had signed up for wiialerts.com a few days before and had totally given up after several attemps of running to the computer as soon as I got the text message. I had totally given up as I was reading your article when I got one and went directly to Amazon.com and got my Wii! No waiting in line necessary.

Posted by: DW | December 21, 2007 12:52 PM

Got up early 8:00 am ugh! in November and went to the Target in Fair Lakes...went right in and bought one, they still had 4 or 5 left but they were out of the Wii Play (extra controller with 10 games). So, I strolled over to Toys R Us just next door to buy the Wii Play and saw a line of folks who told me that I was too late and that I needed to be there at 5 am to get the console...Oh well. Better luck next time.

Posted by: Mike | December 21, 2007 1:06 PM

I'm amazed by two things:

-I have a Wii that I bought during the summer (I did not go to any extra lengths to get it, just did a simple walk in) and while it's a unique game console, it is not worth all the hype and trouble that people are going through to obtain one.

-Some of you parents must really be really indulgent with your kids. When I was younger, if I asked my folks for a $250+ Christmas that would also require them to stand in line in freezing temperatures early in the morning to get one, they not only would laugh in my face but they would probably have put me up for adoption.

Trust me, parents, as a Wii owner, your kids will not die, their dreams won't be crushed affecting them into adulthood, and angels will still earn their wings if you "fail" to bring home a Wii this Christmas.

Posted by: THEE FRANCHIZ PLAYAH | December 21, 2007 1:39 PM

My wife and I looked long and hard for one last Christmas to no avail. We stopped in a Best Buy in January just to walk off dinner when we saw a father and son walking away from the electronics department with a Wii. We asked them if there wer any left and the father said that there was a clerk walking out of the stock room with two of them and that they had gotten one. My wife instantly found the stock guy, who still had not made it to the shelves. She held out her hands, had a huge smile, and with no words needed we had our Wii. :)

So that's how long the shelf-life of a Wii is - there isn't one as they are gone before they ever reach the shelves.

Posted by: Scott | December 21, 2007 3:12 PM

My in-laws to be wanted to get me something nice for my 30th birthday. In passing I had said a Wii would be nice to have but knowing how hard they were to attain I didn't want them to bother. My sister-in-law to be made it her mission to track one done. On a weekly basis, she would get up early and stalk the local Circuit City's and Best Buy's to try and get a jump on the crowds but to no avail. They finally decided to try on Amazon.com. A few weeks before my birthday, they purchased a Wii from an outside vendor with a page on Amazon. The vendor had good ratings and feedback so they were not worried. Other in-laws to be had purchased peripherals as add-on gifts as they were trying to make a big surprise gift. The expected ship date passed and any attempts to track down the vendor was a dead end. They checked back with Amazon and noticed a surge in negative comments of similar people who had purchased a Wii but never got one. A couple days before my birthday, they gather to tell me the whole saga of trying to get me a Wii. I was moved by the effort and offered to pay them the money they lost in trying to get one.

The day of my birthday arrives and they are truly disappointed. A few hours before I was to celebrate my birthday, my fiance goes to Target to pick up some last minute party items. She passes by electronics and decides, "Why not?" She asks the clerk, "I know you'll probably say no, but is there any chance you have a Wii?" The clerk almost laughed but politely called into the back. "You're in luck, we actually do have one!" she replied. My fiance quickly said, "Put it in my cart right now!"

I come home for my birthday celebration. I get handed the first gift, it turns out to be an extra controller for a Wii. I get another gift, a game for a Wii. That would have been enough but out from hiding, my fiance pulls another box and it is in fact a Wii. I was completely stunned as she relayed to me the events that transpired that afternoon. It was one of the best birthday gifts I had ever received.

Posted by: Tony | December 21, 2007 3:16 PM

My wife decided that our son should get a Wii for Christmas. I figured this was coming and had started looking around on the internet. I pretty much determined that we would be lucky to get one. When she brought it up, I told her that they were impossible to find. She didn't realize. She said that if she had known, she would have gotten one earlier because she saw them in stores a couple of months ago.

The next day was Thanksgiving and she mentioned that she should call her cousin because her son worked at GameStop or one of the other game stores. She didn't get around to calling until sometime on Black Friday. Too late. He had 30 of them at his store, but they were all sold quickly on Black Friday.

The following Sunday, I travelled to NYC for business. I stayed at Rockefeller Center and realized that Nintendo World was 2 blocks from my hotel. Their web site said they get Wiis in every day. I figured they would be easy to get there. I showed up at 7:45, 15 minutes before they opened. The line was probably 500 deep. The crowd control employee said we still had a 50/50 shot at getting one. After about 200 people got into the store, they were sold out. The next morning I showed up at 5 AM and was the 12th person in line. I got one. The general concensus was that Nintendo gets one big shipment at the beginning of the week and then just makes available about 200 per day. I counted about 180 while I was standing there as they have them all stacked up behind the counter.

If you are near NYC, Nintendo World is the place to go. Of course now that it is only a few days until Xmas, the lines may be even longer. I went the week after Thanksgiving.

Posted by: Todd | December 21, 2007 8:30 PM

Try this site:

http://wiitracker.com/

It's how I got my Wii. You can get status updates via an updating RSS feed. Sure beats running around in the cold trying to find one. Sams Club had some for sale last time I checked.

Posted by: Paul Katz | December 22, 2007 2:37 AM

And while party games are fun for kids, if you are looking for a fun WWII Wii shooter, try Medal of Honor Heroes 2. A decent single player campaign and 32 player online gaming makes this title a must have for adult FPS players.

Posted by: Paul Katz | December 22, 2007 2:39 AM

After placing the Wii out of consideration for my family (PC games are just fine!), I succomed to the LACK of pressure from my kids last Sunday. Neither of my children asked for a Wii, probably because they knew I didn't think we should have video games. While visiting Santa last weekend, I gave my 8 and 10 year olds a speech on asking him to bring them the gift they want most, even if might be impossible to get (I could say this becuase I had already purchased the gift my 8 year old most wanted). So, as luck would have it, when my 10 year old got up to Santa, he asked for a Wii! This got my parental emotions bubbling, as I imagined a Christmas morning with the Wii he had secretly wanted but was afraid to ask for!
Not having paid much attention to the Wii craze, I had no idea how difficult they are to find until I started calling around Sunday afternoon. After many calls and unsuccessful bids on ebay, I resorted to a desperate e-mail to friends and neighbors:
"After months of insisting that the Wii game would not be under our Christmas tree (PC games are good enough!), I am now reconsidering this position at the 11th hour and am in search of the elusive Wii game system! After calling a dozen stores and bidding on (and losing) several ebay auctions, I am reaching out to some local parents who may have had success in tracking down the Wii game and who might advise me on where, when and how to accomplish this nearly impossible task! I would love any leads or suggestions! Otherwise, it will have to be a birthday gift next year. There are worse problems to have!!"
The next day I was inundated with phone calls and e-mails with a range of advice and offers of help. It was as if I had asked for a cure for cancer! Finally, at noon, a firend called and said she had just bought a Wii for me - she happened to be in the right place at the right time at Target!
So, within 24 hours of deciding to purchase a Wii, I had one in hand for the regular retail price. I felt a little like George Bailey, with a network of friends who were willing to help out in a pinch! It's a wonderful life!

Posted by: Tara | December 22, 2007 11:40 AM

"...Ebay is probably the best place to look in a few months when people get bored of it."

I can clearly recal reading similar words in various comments a year ago.
I wonder why it's yet to come true.
Gross phenomenon underestimation maybe!

Posted by: WeeFree | December 22, 2007 12:26 PM

I heard of this website, wiiAlerts.com, that will send you an SMS and/or an email when a Wii is available at an online retailer. I signed up, and within 2 days I had ordered 2 of them from Amazon at regular price. Give them a try... worked for me!

Posted by: IgotaWii | December 22, 2007 6:53 PM

I heard that they might be in short supply at Christmas so I went to a BestBuy at lunch one day in October and found one on my first attempt. In fact, the supply was plentiful. It has been hidden in a closet for two months.

Posted by: Steve | December 23, 2007 12:12 AM

My sons had been saving to buy a Wii at the end of the last school year. We looked around but could not find one. Finally, one Saturday, my wife and one of my sons walked into the Fair Lakes Target to pick up some shampoo and looked in the video games section. They were shocked to find Wiis just sitting behind the glass.

Moral of the story: Just check when you are doing normal shopping!

Posted by: John | December 23, 2007 7:03 PM

I owned a wii for a few weeks, which I bought easily at a local "big" electronics store. I thought it was a decent system with graphics very comparable to my old xbox with a very neat controller upgrade. I have sold it and recently got an xbox 360 which when you throw in the graphics and live marketplace (where you can watch movies and shows in HD) is a much more adult experience. With that being said if you have smaller children buy a wii and they will love it...if you can find it!

Posted by: robbo100 | December 24, 2007 2:11 AM

I have had the Wii since Feb 07. I was close to giving up on my search when I started looking at local ebay auctions. I decided to take a closer look at the receipts that some had pictured. I wanted to know where the people in my area were getting them because I wasn't having any luck. I saw one that was purchased at a costco about 25 miles away from me that same morning at around 9:30am. It was about 10:30 when I called the store and confirmed that they had some in stock (11). I bought one for my kids (and me) and one for my sister.